BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The federal judge in the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit will allow the NCAA and Electronic Arts to file motions seeking dismissal from an antitrust lawsuit over the use of college athletes' names, images and likenesses.

In her ruling today, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken wrote the court was "reluctant to delay this case further, but finds itself compelled to allow an additional round of motions ... due to Defendants' insistence on pursuing all available procedural steps, and the untimely changes in Plaintiffs' theory of the case."

"Although these defendants have already had ample opportunity to respond to Antitrust Plaintiffs' new theory ... the Court nevertheless grants their request," Wilken wrote. "Defendants may intend to seek an interlocutory appeal of any class certification order, and the Court does not wish to leave open a claim that they were not allowed to present all of their arguments."

Wilken criticized the plaintiffs for contributing to this delay "by raising a new theory of their case at this relatively late stage in the litigation." NCAA lawyers have criticized the plaintiffs for adding television revenue to the complaint last year. The case is over 4 years old.

At some point, Wilken will make a decision on whether to certify the case as a class action. Certification would make the NCAA potentially liable for billions of dollars in damages if the plaintiffs won at trial -- a result that would change the college sports model on how players are compensated.

In addition, Wilken denied the other co-defendant, Collegiate Licensing Company, its request to remove some of the allegations and dismiss the four current college football players added as plaintiffs in July. CLC did not seek to file for dismissal, but Wilken has granted the company the opportunity to do so as well.

Although Wilken will hear dismissal motions, she set a case schedule that maintains the start of the trial as June 9, 2014. The NCAA had sought a 15-month delay in the trial until Aug. 28, 2015, and CLC and EA had proposed a five-month delay to November 2014.